Mommy tip Monday - A Super Educational Toy (that you already own)

Measuring cups are one of my go to toddler toys. They are perfect for the bath because they are easy to clean (it's all about dishwasher safe), and fun to play with. Kids love to fill them up and dump them out, and while they play they are learning concepts like volume, more, less, full, empty, as well as numbers and amounts. We don't limit measuring cups to bath time fun though, I've been known to give an eager to 'help' toddler a measuring cup and a spoon while I prepare dinner and let them 'make a side dish'.

More Than

Women can be very judgmental, throw them into a "competition" such as raising a child and things are bound to get ugly. I can't stop all the women in the world from tearing each other down, but I can stop them from getting to me. Finding myself in a place where I'm no longer up late at night wearing the labels other women have given me is a very freeing thing. Beyond that I'm making a commitment (and I encourage you to do likewise), to use my words to encourage and support, to lift others up, and give advice in a gentle tone. If something is important enough to be said about another woman, it's important enough to be said to her face that she may either take the advice and better herself, or give defense for her actions.

I've written an ode to a different kind of super mom, the kind who's strength lies in knowing her weakness, who's beauty is not found in the clothes she wears or make up she puts on, but in her ability to teach her daughters to love themselves for who they are, not who they can turn themselves into.

More Than

a poem from the award winning author

me :)

More than I want to do everything, I want to be everything for my kids.

More than I want to be the best looking person in the room, I want to teach my daughter to love how she looks.

More than I want to be the best dressed, I want to be covered in Play doh hugs, and baby food kisses.

More than I want to be a member of every club, I want to be an important member of my family.

More than I want to follow the advice of others, I want to follow the advice that's best for us.

More than I want my kids to fit in, I want them to think for themselves and make intelligent decisions based on compassion.

More than I care what you say about my family, I care about my family.

Mommy Tip Monday: The Alphabet Hop

So, do you see how bad I am at this? First post in over six months and I can't even post it on the proper day. I'm going to try to bring back "Mommy Tip Mondays" because I really enjoyed doing them. I make no promises to the day I will actually post on. The thing is I occasionally come up with spectacular ideas (I'm humble), and then I forget them before thing two or three reaches an age that aforementioned spectacular idea would be appropriate or useful. Sometimes I forget my ideas even before I've had a chance to execute them. My mind...she is not what she used to be. Yesterday I lost a half of a banana. I've given up on finding it the old fashioned way, and I'm waiting for it to start to produce a smell. I wish I was kidding. In summery; this is as much for me as it is for you....yes, in fact I'm almost certain I'll get more use of this than my five readers will.

The alphabet hop is one such idea that I do NOT want to forget. This game is cheap, easy to set up, strengthens letter recognition, phonological awareness, and gross motor skills (there's the added bonus that it wears the kids out).

What you need-

Chalk

Large concrete area (we used the driveway)

What to do-

Write out the alphabet in large letters on the driveway (or have your child write out the alphabet if they are capable). Then, depending on the capabilities of the child, either call out a letter for them to hop to, or call out a word and have them hop to the letter that starts that word. We usually start the game out by hopping from letter to letter while singing the alphabet song, and I like to let the kids take turns calling out letters.

It's a girl!

I was just reading over my last post, I can't believe it was written five months ago. It was a pretty funny post......you should go read it now, this post will not be funny. This is just a little hello to tell you all I was not in fact the first woman ever to be pregnant for an eon. Little baby sparkles (as so dubbed in my belly by my older children) made her debut fashionably late and shocked us all by being a girl. So shocked was I in fact, that I called her 'him' for the first 24-48 hours of her life. True story. Here she is all snuggled on my belly three days old. At this point I started putting bows on her and thus ending the he/she confusion. She is a very easy baby with the exception of her insistence that I not partake of spicy foods. Beyond that she is my curious child, always looking around for something to chase after (which in baby moves comes across as wild arm flapping and a series of 'oooOOOooooh's, but I know what she wants).

Dear Baby, Come out, come out, wherever you are

The plus side of waking up at four A.M. is that I'm getting some extra laundry done before I go to farmers market, and apparently four also happens to be peak writing* time. Really neither of those are good enough reasons (in my humble opinion) to be up before the sun. To be fair, I can't think of any really good reason to be up this early, with the exception of being in labor. I feel like lack of sleep is something best saved for after the baby is born. My two year old who has crawled into bed with me and is not allowing me as much space as my current figure requires seems to have a differing opinion.

It's not even that I'm tired of being pregnant. I'm just tired of going to the doctor. It's a once a week, half my day down the drain, festival of not getting anything done except wrangling the children around a small waiting room and avoiding the loss of either one of them. Sure, I understand that complications can crop up in the last month, but I don't understand why I have to wait two hours for an appointment to basically confirm that I still have a baby in my belly.

Doctor: How are you feeling?

Me: Pregnant

Doctor: Have you started drinking, smoking, or doing crack cocaine in the past week?

Me: No...wait...ya...No

Doctor: And I see here you are gaining weight.

Me: Thanks for mentioning it.

Doctor: And your children still seem to enjoy chewing on the chairs in the waiting room.

Me: They do keep busy.

*Crickets*

Me: So.....could you make up some lab work or something, so that I don't feel like I wasted my day? K thanks.

I'm going to bring my laundry next time and fold it while I wait. Maybe they will get me in faster.

*Note: peak writing hours and peak editing hours do not coincide. Once I decide on some hours when I feel like putting forth an effort in the grammar and spelling department you'll know.

Reminiscing

I will on occasion be re-posting old blogs from my personal accounts on here. This is one that, though written over two years ago (shortly before the birth of my son) is very applicable today. Enjoy.....and I apologize if this is a repeat for you.


Where is the emoticon for hormonal angst when you need it????? Seriously people this is going to drive me nuts.......do not......and I feel the need to repeat this....do NOT call to ask me if I have had the baby. You may however call for the following reasons....

a.) to just talk
b.) to ask me how I am feeling
c.) to inquire about the strangely cold weather
d.) to tell me I'm pretty
e.) if there was a bizarre bakery accident and now the coffee shop down the street is giving away free cookies......don't ask me what sort of accident would involve free cookies, I haven't figured that part out yet. A girl can dream though.
f.) to hang out
g.) who am I kidding........anything involving food.

To make a long rant shorter than it could be, but not nearly as short as I am sure most of you would like....I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I HAVE THE BABY!!!!! I promise, you will be made aware. I have a list of phone numbers in my purse ready and waiting for this occasion. I have decided to entitle this the "nice list", people on the nice list will be notified after the baby is born. Anybody else who asks me if I've had the baby yet will be put on what I like to call the "naughty list", these people will be notified when the child turns five.

Yes, I am serious. There is now a naughty list...and not the good kind.

For Kicks and Giggles

For kicks and giggles I (with eight months of baby in my belly) decided to measure my waist. Though there was much kicking and merriment on the part of the impending spawn, there was no giggling on my part......in fact I didn't really find it amusing at all.

The only thing I really brought away from the whole ordeal was a sense of awe in the rapid expansion of my belly (20 inches in 8 months wowza) and a name for this blog....which I had to reverse because "For Kicks and Giggles" is already taken.